Riding and cutting the imperial pirates of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 564

After the family banquet, the next day Wang Zheng summoned his ministers again and announced two appointments:
Zhang Zhao was transferred to Shouchun to lead the governor of Yangzhou, and the vacated post of Pengcheng Guoxiang was succeeded by Mi Heng.

Of course, when it comes to appointment, there must still be a process of sending "envoys to Xudu to see the emperor's performance" on the surface, so it will basically not come into effect until the end of the year.

The reason why Zhang Zhao came to Shouchun was because of the great war, Jiangdong was in decline, and capable officials were urgently needed to reorganize the place. Zhang Zhao was in charge of Xuzhou last year, with outstanding achievements, so he was the most suitable candidate.

As for the reason for changing the original Zuo Sima Mi Heng to the state minister, it is that Pengcheng is a gateway to frequent wars, and the style of writing has always been weak. Mi Heng's transfer to the past has a positive effect on the development of the local style of study.

These two reasons were clearly stated in the past, although some of the officials felt that the two appointments might have ulterior motives, but because they were not related to their own business, not many people objected.

After all, Zhang Zhao's assassin is actually Wang Zheng's prime minister, and as for Mi Heng's annoying tongue, it's something that many people are happy to see come true.

Others were happy to hear it, but Lu Ji didn't see Xinran. Instead, he thought to himself: "The mind of the superior is really unpredictable."

"This appointment seems to be the same as last night's banquet. It is a blessing to you, and you will be promoted to a noble, but if you think about it carefully, it will make you leave the current political center. It is really unpredictable. "

"Does Zhou Mu trust You Heng, or is there already a rift in his heart?"

He stood in the queue of courtiers, behind Mi Heng, and couldn't see the other person's expression at this time, so he could only speculate secretly, thinking wildly, but he heard Mi Heng cough lightly, then stepped out of the queue, and said: "My minister I have little knowledge and no virtue and ability, and now I am appreciated by my lord and entrusted with this position, I am really sincere and fearful, and I can only do my best to repay your kindness."

As soon as this remark came out, everyone was astonished, and could hardly believe their ears. Lu Ji and Gu Yong watched each other for a long time, and at the same time looked around, and saw that the person standing in the hall was indeed Mi Heng, still unbelievable .
Why is this Confucianist so humble today?
The others were surprised, but Wang Zheng looked calm, just nodded, and said softly: "Zhengping will always be at ease in handling affairs."

When Mi Heng returned to the shift, he turned his gaze to Zhang Zhao and said, "At the meeting the day before yesterday, the general had already decided that Mr. Zhang, you, Guo Jijiu, and Taishou Lu would be responsible for the meritorious deeds summarized this year. Today, Mr. Zhang Now that Shouchun is here, I will officially entrust this important task to you, you need to hurry up, after all, the Chinese New Year is only two months away, and try to award all those who should be rewarded before the Chinese New Year."

"After the war, the hearts and morale of the people are in urgent need of boosting, so we can use this to make everyone happy and have a good year."

Zhang Zhao had been notified by Wang Zheng before he came to Shouchun, so he hurriedly stepped out and bowed, "Yes."

Wang Zheng nodded slightly, then looked at Wang Xiong and asked, "How far is General Zang's army from Shouchun? Didn't you say that you estimated the itinerary the day before yesterday, and you should arrive today? Why is there still no news?"

"I am going to report to the general to know."

Wang Xiongdao: "This morning, the last general just received the military report. General Zang's headquarters stationed in Guangling immediately set off after receiving the arrival of the defending troops. However, when they entered Jiujiang territory, they encountered an attack by bandits. Although it was successfully repelled, it was a safe strategy, so it was repaired for a day, and now it is less than a hundred miles away from Shouchun, and it will definitely arrive at noon tomorrow."

Thieves?

Wang Zheng raised his eyebrows slightly, nodded, kept this matter in mind, and immediately said: "Guangling was able to recover quickly, and General Zang has made great contributions, but there will be something in Japan tomorrow, so I'm afraid I won't be able to go out of the city to meet him in person. How about it, Feng Xiao and Pharmacist, how about the two of you going to greet me on behalf of Ben?"

Zang Ba not only has outstanding personal ability, but also has a certain reputation and influence in Donghai, Xiapi, Taishan and other places. Without objection, they all nodded in agreement.

"So good."

Discussed some matters with everyone, such as the New Year's celebration plan, the process of the wedding ceremony, etc., and discussed some trivial matters. Seeing that it was getting late outside the hall, Wang Zheng picked up the teacup and looked around at everyone He asked, "Is there anything else?"

At this time, Lu Ji came out and said, "There is still one matter for my minister, and I need to ask the state shepherd to decide."

"What's the matter?"

"Report to Zhou Mu."

Lu Ji said: "The war in the prefecture has now come to an end, and the generals have withdrawn from various battlefields one after another, and many of them have come to Shouchun. The total number of soldiers and horses stationed is close to [-], and Shouchun's food storage is not much, and with these troops and horses, it will be fine in a short time, but if it takes a long time, it may be quite difficult to supply."

What Lu Ji said was Shouchun, but in fact he alluded to the whole of Jiujiang.

Because if there is no food in Shouchun, it is actually not a problem. Yangzhou has developed water transportation, and Shouchun is in the center of the county, and it is in a position extending in all directions. If other counties have food, they can be directly deployed. mouth.

But the problem now is that Jiujiang doesn't have much food left!

The previous attack on Xuzhou had already seriously damaged Yangzhou's vitality. When it finally recovered a little bit, Sun Ce rebelled again. In addition, Runan County still needs Yangzhou's support for a long time. Come down, in fact, has reached a stretched situation.

Of course, the rotten ship still has three nails. If it is the same as before, there are only [-] permanent troops in the city, which can barely support it. Now that the number has nearly doubled, Lu Ji is keenly aware that if this continues However, Shouchun couldn't take it anymore.

Hearing this, Wang Zheng fell into deep thought.

These 4 troops sound like a lot, but in fact, the total number of troops in the headquarters of the Heavenly Army is only a little over [-], and most of the other half are captured and surrendered troops from many wars in Jiangdong. The former champion of Shouchun accounted for at least [-].

As for these soldiers, Wang Zheng has ideas.

The Battle of Jiangdong was actually divided into two battles, one in Lujiang and the other in Jiujiang.

In the head-to-head confrontation with Sun Ce in Lujiang County, the damage of the Tianjun was actually not small. The frontline cities such as Shucheng, Hefei, Lu'an and other places, after many times of fierce battles, the original garrison can be said to be non-existent.

On the contrary, in the process of scrambling for Jiujiang, it was actually considered bloodless, and the offensive and defensive sides hardly suffered much loss. After handing over part of Yuan Shu's direct line Southern Army to Commander Gan Ning, most of the surrendered army system remained unchanged.

But not moving now does not mean never moving. More than 1 people who are not in the system are around, and most of their generals are not in the system. Under such circumstances, how can Wang Zheng tolerate it? Fan's.

First of all, in the eyes of Wang Zheng, who is accustomed to taking the route of elite soldiers, it is definitely impossible to keep the 2 men of this motley bunch. He only plans to keep those who are strong and brave, and cancel all other unbearable ones. , and this requires a certain amount of time and sufficient manpower to select and identify
In such an adaptation process, it is necessary to have enough power to supervise and control. After all, in the last years of troubled times, it is not easy to recruit troops. In fact, disarmament also has risks, so it is necessary to keep enough soldiers and horses to deter.

That is to say, according to Wang Zheng's plan, the current [-] Yangzhou Army cannot move, but the [-] Xuzhou Army cannot leave either.
As a result, the "insufficient food surplus" that Lu Ji threw out now stumped him.

After pondering for a long time, Wang Zhengwang asked Lu Ji, "According to your judgment, how long is there enough stock in the city? Maybe it's possible to raise funds nearby?"

"Reporting to Zhou Mu, when Yuan Shu went on an expedition to Runan, he not only took away the grain stored in the official warehouse, but also lost more than half of the grain stored in several counties near Shouchun,"

Lu Ji dispelled Wang Zheng's delusion in the last sentence, and then said: "Now the food stored in the city is not only needed to supply military supplies, but also needs to support the people in accordance with the decree of the state pastor. Calculate it based on the current consumption rate."

"It can last at least a month."

a month?

Wang Zheng shook his head again and again, turned to Zhang Zhao and asked, "Mr. Zhang, may Xuzhou call some over?"

Hearing this, Zhang Zhao only felt a toothache, and hurriedly said: "My lord, my Xuzhou has been in constant war, and the people's livelihood has long been in decline. If the lord hadn't seen it clearly last year and designated Pengcheng Kingdom as an important land for farming, I'm afraid that even this year's Beihai campaign would be difficult. Failed to support."

"Nowadays, although the official warehouses and the people have surplus food, they are not rich. They can at most provide for their local needs. For Shouchun, there is nothing they can do."

Wang Zheng just asked casually, but he also knew that Xuzhou could not be counted on.

Yangzhou has been at peace for many years, and it was overwhelmed by the three wars in two years. You must know that Xuzhou has experienced more wars in recent years, and the foundation will only be weaker. There is not much disappointment. After a moment of silence, the eyes fell again. When it came to Lu Ji: "What is Gongji's opinion?"

"The war is just over, and people's minds are returning. Seeing the end of the year, the soldiers must also want to celebrate the new year, and there is not enough food in the city."

After hesitating for a while, Lu Ji said: "I mean according to Chen, if Zhou Mu has no other arrangements, it is better to send Xuzhou's generals back first."

Glancing at Wang Zheng's expression, he said, "Of course, the original garrisons in various parts of the territory have lost a lot, and there must be strong troops in the localities. If the state herdsmen are worried about this, there is no need to send all the reinforcements back. .Leave some less, and no matter how tight the city is, it will probably still be able to last until the beginning of spring."

Gu Yong and other old ministers of Shouchun came out one after another to agree: "What Lu Taishou said is very true, the ministers and others agree."

Let them all go back, wouldn't I lose my sense of security?
As long as he is not in the system, no matter how loyal he is, Wang Zheng will not completely let go of his guard. He immediately shook his head slightly and asked, "Even if some of them are sent away, the food in the city can only last until the beginning of spring. What will happen after that?" Just kidding , Danyang and Wu County, he is still planning to go to conquer after the spring.

As he said that, he turned his eyes to Guo Jia with expectation: "Feng Xiao, do you have a good way to teach me?"

Guo Jia coughed dryly. There is no good way to deal with the lack of food. He can only find a way to get food: "I have only two countermeasures, one is to borrow food from the north, or buy food from the south."

"Borrowing food from the north?" Wang Zheng raised his eyebrows: "Are you talking about Cao Cao or Yuan Shao?"

"Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan have come to a decisive battle this year. They have used their troops very diligently. I am afraid that most of the family's wealth has been used up. The treasury is empty and it is difficult to continue. Naturally, there is no hope."

Guo Jiadao: "That's not the case with Cao Cao. Ever since he hunted Yanzhou with Lu Bu, he has been resting and recuperating. He has worked hard to cultivate the fields. So far, he has cultivated three times. I think the grain reserves are very abundant."

"No matter how much food he has left, if he doesn't want to borrow it, it will be useless."

Given the grievances between Wang Zheng and Cao Cao, even though they have joined forces several times, it is obviously unrealistic to expect the other party to help at critical moments. The current flaw, immediately waved his hand to veto, "It is not advisable to borrow grain from the north, and you are talking about Jingzhou to buy grain from the south?"

"Yes, the six prefectures of Jingxiang and Xiangyang are rich in rice, rice, soup and fish. Since Liu Jingsheng became the governor of the state, there has been a long period of peace, and there is absolutely no shortage of food."

Guo Jia laughed and said: "This person just won the three counties of Runan with the help of Lord Huwei, and even sent an envoy to my Shouchun a while ago, expressing his willingness to continue to have good relations with the Lord. Now I am short of food in Shouchun, please If they do me a favor, it should be fine, right?"

Wang Zheng touched his chin, quite agreeing with Guo Jia's point of view.

First of all, Jingzhou is definitely not short of food. Although it is the Han Dynasty period when the south has not yet been fully opened, the future Jingzhou will have the so-called aura of "huguang is cooked, and the world is full".

Even if Jingzhou has not reached the status of such a large grain province, it is estimated that it will not be far behind.

So, is Liu Biao willing to sell his food?
Not a big problem.

From the two incidents of Sun Ce and Liang Gang, Wang Zheng has already seen that this Han family clan member, the Eight Great Horses in the World, is actually a bit bullying and afraid of toughness, and now Wang Zheng is in the limelight after losing a streak of powerful enemies. At the moment when his personal prestige was at its peak, would he dare to risk offending Wang Zheng by refusing Yangzhou to buy grain?
Probably not.

Now it is Wang Zheng who is hesitant.

Because if Liu Biao really helped this favor, it would be regarded as "giving charcoal in the snow".

So how can he keep his face down and attack Jingzhou in the future?
Forget it, I can't take care of the future for the time being, Wang Zheng shook his head, thinking: "Let's get over the current difficulties first."

Immediately he made a decision and said: "Fengxiao's plan is good. Didn't Jingzhou send envoys here twice before? Reciprocity, we haven't returned the gift yet, just send an envoy to Jingzhou with a gift to greet Liu Gong, and send our Ask for a mention?"

"My lord is right."

Guo Jia smiled and said: "Liu Jingzhou is a modest and modest gentleman. He and the lord have been friends for many years and are allies. The minister just thought that it is quite inappropriate to buy grain. Doesn't this mean that this venerable is regarded as a first-class merchant?"

"Why don't we just borrow food from him? If there is still a shortage, how about buying supplements locally?"

(End of this chapter)